The job description for quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys reads a bit differently than it does in 31 other cities, something Dak Prescott is learning the hard way. Most quarterbacks get too much credit when things go well and too much blame when things go poorly. That’s not the way it’s been in Dallas. When things have gone well for the Cowboys, everybody gets the credit except Prescott.
In his rookie season it was all about running back Ezekiel Elliott and the offensive line. In his third year wide receiver Amari Cooper received all the praise for being the catalyst that revived a dead offense. In 2019, the Dallas season ended at 8-8 and so the blamed fell at the feet of Prescott. Haters from all corners of the internet claimed victory on him being nothing more than a game manager. Too bad they ignored he was a top five quarterback in the league, according to the 2019 Football Outsiders awards.
He was No. 6 in defense-adjusted value over average, or DVOA, a metric Football Outsiders uses to measure a player’s efficiency while taking into account quality of opponent and most importantly against the argument Prescott’s numbers were padded, the game situation when stats were accrued.
Two of the players ranked ahead of him in the latter stat is Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, two players who didn’t play anywhere near the amount of snaps Prescott did.
In the piece, Prescott was ranked as the fifth most valuable player in the entire league. That is not a typo. He ranked No. 1 in defense-adjusted yards above replacement, or DYAR, which is Football Outsiders’ way of measuring total value. It basically says how many yards would the average player gain in the exact same down, distance and game situations.
Prescott was No. 1 above reigning MVP Lamar Jackson. It’s ahead of Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. It’s ahead of Patrick Mahomes. And it’s most certainly ahead of Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback Prescott should have replaced in the Pro-Bowl.
It must be said that the Pro-Bowl is meaningless. It’s now little more than a joke, a popularity contest that rewards players with big-time name recognition who are honored for nothing more than what they’d done in the past. Football Outsiders has Prescott as the biggest Pro-Bowl snub of all. The quarterback that he should’ve replaced? Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who he outplayed regularly by any advanced metric.
| 34.3% Dak Prescott, QB, DAL 13.7% Mitchell Schwartz, OT, KC 8.8% Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN 8.8% Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA 6.9% Darren Waller, TE, OAK |
5.4% Kirk Cousins, QB, MIN 4.9% Julian Edelman, WR, NE 2.0% Aaron Jones, RB, GB 2.0% Lane Johnson, OT, PHI 1.5% Davante Adams, WR, GB |
Add Dak Prescott to the list of quarterbacks who have surpassed Aaron Rodgers in the quarterback pecking order — he led all passers in total DYAR this year.
What the Cowboys would have looked like without Prescott at the helm would have been an abomination. The level of performance that he was able to put together for the season was undermined by things entirely out of his control. The defense took a huge step back, the special teams was abhorrent and the amalgamation of the coaching staff was outmatched on a regular basis, leading to an 8-8 record and a seat on the couch during the playoffs. None of this changes the fact that Prescott demonstrated he’s as good as any quarterback in the league, soon he’ll be paid like it.
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